Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!gatech!hao!oddjob!gargoyle!ihnp4!ihwpt!knudsen From: knudsen@ihwpt.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.m6809 Subject: Re: True Multitasking, and some history lessons Message-ID: <1710@ihwpt.ATT.COM> Date: Fri, 29-May-87 15:03:06 EDT Article-I.D.: ihwpt.1710 Posted: Fri May 29 15:03:06 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 30-May-87 11:57:30 EDT References: <943@cooper.UUCP> <159@tahoma.ARPA> <3708@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> <879@sdcc13.ucsd.EDU> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Naperville, Illinois Lines: 61 Keywords: which is better, Tandy CoCo Xref: utgpu comp.sys.amiga:4934 comp.sys.atari.st:3533 comp.sys.m6809:289 Summary: Yes, BUT In article <879@sdcc13.ucsd.EDU>, mu106sbn@sdcc13.ucsd.EDU (Stephen Hartford) writes: > Since the Atari ST and the Amiga have been released, > I've purchased both. Must be nice to be single with no kids. Some of us have to think bang per buck, or maybe just bucks. If I were starting from scratch, I'd get a mono 520 ST, but see below... > I would hardly call the CoCo 3's "Data Address Translator" a > MMU in any but the most primitive sense of the word. Better primitive than non-existant, which describes the MMUs on the Big A machines. Amiga's memory usage is a family embarrassment. I recall a posting by an Amiga user who found her AMiga used up 512K RAM faster for the same functions than OS9 on a 64K Coco! > When you > get a chance, visit comp.sys.m6809, the newsgroup for the CoCo. > Besides the fact that there's only 2-3 messages a day, you will Cuz we can play with our Cocos for days without finding any new bugs to post about... > notice all they ever talk about is the bugs in OS-9. Not "all." Funny you missed how they're still talking about the 40-folder bug in TOS, tho they've figured out how to mix single- and double-sided disk drives (which we Coconuts did two years earlier). I read the Amiga group in the early days, and it was nothing but guru meditation numbers (crashes) and who can-or-cannot stand the flicker on the 400-line interlace. A major "bug" in OS9 windows turned out to be a manual misprint. I won't repeat the things said about Atari and Amiga documentation; I mean, this is a family group here... Let's face it, these newsgroups are like the American press, for washing dirty laundry in public. Foreigners think the USA is a terribly corrupt place, because we talk about problems openly. Should we stop talking about bugs and fixes and how our machines could be BETTER, and just start cheerleading about how great our machines are? Leave that to the ads and salesmen! > > Even as far as price, the CoCo can not compete! Going by standard > prices today, a CoCo with 512K, one drive, and a RGB monitor lists > for $219+149+299+299= $950. Try 170+80+180+260 = $690 using mail-order discount prices. Of course, for REALLY overpriced 8-bit machines, we could go over to .Apple and flame about the II-GS -- gawd what a rip! > The CoCo was a great machine in its day (1981 > ~ 1985), I know, but it just doesn't cut it today. I think what you mean, Steve, is that given the costs of keyboard, cabinet, and peripherals, it makes more sense to build a NEW system around a 68000 than any 8-bit micro. I'll agree there. But for someone already heavily invested in Coco hard/soft ware, a Coco-3 upgrade gives lots more bang/buck than any other path, and lets us develop GEM-type features. PS: I don't want to start religious wars over, but this grenade landed in my newsgroup, so I just pulled the pin and tossed it back.... -- Mike J Knudsen ...ihnp4!ihwpt!knudsen Bell Labs(AT&T) Delphi: RAGTIMER CIS: "Just say NO to MS-DOS!"